Corn Tortillas substitute

Best substitute

Flour tortillas

Use the same amount by count as the corn tortillas you are replacing

Best for soft tacos

Taste and texture differ

Flour tortillas are the everyday swap at 1:1 by count, but they are softer and stretchier and they contain wheat, so tacos taste milder and enchiladas turn gluey instead of holding their layers. If you have masa harina in the cupboard, make them: 2 cups masa harina, about 1 and 1/2 cups warm water, a big pinch of salt, rested 15 minutes, then pressed and griddled gives you roughly fifteen tortillas in twenty minutes and they are better than anything from a bag. For a gluten-free option that is not corn, use cassava tortillas, crisp lettuce leaves or rice paper depending on how the filling is served.

Other corn tortillas substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Homemade tortillas from masa harina
Close match
2 cups masa harina plus about 1 ½ cups warm water makes about 15 six-inch tortillas
The best answer available and much faster than people expect.
What changes
Mix masa harina with warm water and salt to a dough like soft play dough, rest it 15 minutes, roll into golf balls, press flat between two sheets of plastic, and cook on a dry hot griddle for about 45 seconds a side until they puff. Fresh corn tortillas taste better than any packet, are properly pliable, and are unambiguously gluten-free.
Best for
tacos, enchiladas, anything where the tortilla is the point, gluten-free cooking
Masa harina is nixtamalised corn flour and is not interchangeable with cornmeal, polenta or corn flour, none of which will hold together as a tortilla. If the dough cracks at the edges when pressed, it needs more water.
3Tostadas or crisp taco shells
Different texture
Use the same amount by count
These are corn tortillas that have already been fried or baked crisp, so the corn flavour is fully there and often deeper from the toasting.
What changes
What you give up is the fold: a tostada is a flat crisp base you pile food onto and a hard shell cracks in half when you bite it. Fine for a taco night, hopeless for anything you need to roll or wrap.
Best for
tostadas, crunchy tacos, nachos and chilaquiles, salad bases
They go soggy within minutes of meeting a wet filling, so assemble at the table. If they have gone soft in the packet, five minutes in a hot oven brings the crisp straight back.
4Cassava, almond flour or coconut flour tortillas
Different taste
Use the same amount by count
The best route if you need gluten-free and grain-free rather than specifically corn.
What changes
Cassava tortillas are the closest in handling: pliable, mild, faintly sweet, and they fold without cracking. Almond flour versions are softer and nuttier and tear more easily. None of them tastes remotely of toasted corn, so the dish loses that background note and becomes about the filling.
Best for
grain-free and paleo cooking, soft tacos, wraps, corn-allergy cooking
Warm them briefly before filling, as with any tortilla. They are usually more fragile than corn once hot, so keep the filling moderate and eat them promptly.
5Crisp lettuce or blanched cabbage leaves
Taste and texture differ
Use 1 to 2 large leaves for every tortilla
Gluten-free, grain-free, and genuinely good with rich fillings like carnitas or fish, because the cold crunch cuts the fat in a way a tortilla does not.
What changes
Be clear about what you lose: no toasted corn, no warmth, no starch, and no ability to hold a wet or saucy filling for more than a minute or two before it runs down your wrist. Butter lettuce and iceberg cups hold shape best.
Best for
low-carb tacos, rich fatty fillings, fish tacos, grain-free eating
For cabbage, dunk the leaves in boiling water for 30 seconds and pat dry, which makes them pliable enough to fold without splitting. Keep the filling well drained.
6Arepas, split, or sopes
Different texture
1 arepa split open replaces 2 tortillas
Made from precooked corn flour, so of everything on this list these give you the truest corn flavour, arguably even more of it because they are thick.
What changes
The form is completely different: a split arepa is a pocket, not a wrap, and it eats like a corn bun. Excellent food, and a good answer if you have the corn flour and no tortilla press, but it changes the dish rather than substituting into it.
Best for
stuffed corn pockets, shredded meat and cheese fillings, breakfast dishes
Arepas need masarepa, a precooked corn flour, which is a different product from masa harina and not interchangeable with it in either direction.
7Rice paper wrappers
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount by count
The least-bad option when you need something gluten-free, have none of the above, and the filling is cold.
What changes
Softened for a few seconds in warm water they turn pliable and translucent and roll tightly. The texture is chewy and slightly slippery rather than tender, they contribute no flavour whatsoever, and hot or greasy fillings will tear straight through them.
Best for
cold rolls, fresh vegetable and herb fillings, shrimp and salad fillings
Dip one wrapper at a time and work fast, because they keep softening after they leave the water and two of them will fuse together permanently if they touch.

What is Corn Tortillas?

Corn Tortillas is the everyday flatbread of Mexican cooking, pressed from masa - corn simmered with lime, then ground wet - and its job in a dish is to hold the filling while adding a toasted-corn flavour that wheat cannot, with no gluten to keep it flexible, which is why it cracks unless it is warmed first.

Cooking tips

A cold corn tortilla cracks the moment you fold it, and nearly everyone who thinks they dislike corn tortillas has only had cold ones. Give each one 15 to 30 seconds a side on a dry hot pan until it smells toasty and goes flexible, or stack five in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds.
Double them up for anything wet or heavy, which is exactly why street tacos are served on two tortillas. One six-inch corn tortilla cannot carry a juicy filling without splitting somewhere on the way to your mouth.
For enchiladas, dip each tortilla in hot oil for a few seconds before it goes anywhere near the sauce. That thin layer of fat waterproofs the tortilla so it stays a distinct layer instead of dissolving into the sauce, and it is the single step that separates good homemade enchiladas from a soggy tray.
Keep cooked tortillas in a towel-lined bowl with the towel folded over the top. They steam each other soft and stay pliable for half an hour, which is the trick behind the cloth-lined basket in a taqueria.
Stale corn tortillas are not waste. Cut them into wedges and fry or bake them for chips, or simmer those chips briefly in salsa for chilaquiles, or shred them into a tortilla soup where they thicken the broth.

Frequently asked questions

Are corn tortillas gluten-free?

Tortillas made from a hundred percent corn are naturally gluten-free, but a lot of supermarket tortillas labelled corn contain wheat flour as well, which improves their pliability and shelf life. If gluten matters, read the ingredient list rather than the front of the packet, and look for a certified gluten-free mark if you are cooking for someone with celiac disease.

Can I use flour tortillas for enchiladas?

You can, and it is a common shortcut, but be prepared for a different dish. Flour tortillas absorb the sauce and go soft and gluey, so the layers merge into something closer to a casserole than enchiladas. To limit the damage, do not dip them in the sauce, brush them with sauce instead, and bake covered for less time than the recipe says.

Why do my corn tortillas keep cracking?

They are too cold, too dry or both. Corn tortillas have no gluten holding them together, so they are only pliable when warm and slightly steamy. Heat them properly on a dry pan or wrapped in a damp towel in the microwave, then keep the stack wrapped so they hold that moisture until you fill them.

Can I just leave the tortillas out?

Yes, and the usual answer is a bowl. Everything that was going in a taco works served over rice, over shredded lettuce or over roasted potatoes, and nothing about the filling needs changing. You lose the toasted corn note, so a scatter of crushed corn chips on top puts some of it back.

Is masa harina the same as cornmeal or corn flour?

No, and this is the mistake that ruins the most homemade tortillas. Masa harina is made from corn that has been cooked in an alkaline solution, a process called nixtamalisation, which changes both the flavour and the way the starch behaves so the dough holds together. Cornmeal, polenta and plain corn flour have not been through that process and will crumble rather than form a tortilla.

Related substitutes

More grains & starches substitutes

Corn Tortillas substitute

Other corn tortillas substitutes

2Homemade tortillas from masa harina

3Tostadas or crisp taco shells

4Cassava, almond flour or coconut flour tortillas

5Crisp lettuce or blanched cabbage leaves

6Arepas, split, or sopes

7Rice paper wrappers